[U.S.] Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, known to many as 'Stormin' Norman,' dead ...

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, known to many as 'Stormin' Norman,' dead ...
http://nation.time.com/2012/12/27/retired-gen-norman-schwarzkopf-dies/
WASHINGTON - Truth is, retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf didn't care much for his popular “Stormin' Norman” nickname.

Cliff Talks Down to the Wire
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324669104578205421234901266.html
President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House on Thursday.

'Put harps back in closet,' former president Bush's aide says
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/27/3984124/chief-of-staff-bush-getting-excellent.html
George H.W. Bush's chief of staff on Thursday sought to tamp down any speculation the former president is near death, saying he would encourage family and friends to "put the harps back in the closet.

Man pushed to death in front of NYC subway
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/12/man-dies-after-being-pushed-in-front-of-a-train.html
NEW YORK - New York City police say a man shoved in front of a subway train has been killed in Queens. Investigators are searching for a woman believed to have pushed him.

Utah teachers get free gun training in response to Newtown shooting
http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16197620-gun-group-trains-200-utah-teachers-to-use-weapons-in-school
By Laura Zuckerman. Thu Dec 27, 2012 9:52pm EST. (Reuters) - Kasey Hansen, a special education teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, says she would take a bullet for any of her students, but if faced with a gunman threatening her class, she would rather be ...

Vegas police renew plea for info about girl last seen with woman arrested in ...
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Vegas-police-investigate-discovery-of-girl-s-body-4148967.php
LAS VEGAS - Police investigating the disappearance of a 10-year-old Las Vegas girl last week were at the scene on Thursday of the discovery of a child's body in an undeveloped housing tract in North Las Vegas.

EPA chief Lisa Jackson is stepping down
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/27/168132882/epa-administrator-jackson-stepping-down
WASHINGTON - EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said Thursday she was stepping down from the Cabinet-level post after four years in which she won new federal regulations for carbon dioxide emissions but also sparred often with Republican lawmakers ...

Northeast Snow, Record Christmas Tornado Outbreak and More Severe Storm ...
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Storm-blows-through-East-200K-in-dark-in-Arkansas-4148310.php
After a VERY warm start to December, we've finally settled into a more winter-like pattern. According to NOAA, 65% of the nation was covered in snow on Thursday.

Sandy Hook funeral-fund scam outrages, feds charge Nouel Alba
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/sandy-hook-funeral-fund-scam-outrages-feds-charge-nouel-alba-article-1.1228607
The innocent blood spilled on the floors of a Connecticut elementary school was still warm when a Bronx woman hatched a sick scam to profit off the tragedy.

Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Mongolian Dinosaur Skeleton
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50307137/ns/technology_and_science-science/
A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to smuggling a 70 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton into the United States from Mongolia, selling it at auction for more than $1 million.

Hillary Rodham Clinton to return to work next week
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hdS0aovENWPWfl8uxNdisOKHOCzQ?docId=CNG.0acf6bcf78fe55db7c67955bb47e562b.211
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the department's international affairs budget.

Justice won't block Obamacare's required emergency contraception coverage
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/supreme-court-contraception-mandate.php
(CNN) -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday turned down a request that she block part of Obamacare that would require companies' health plans to provide for coverage of certain contraceptives, such as the morning-after pill.

Outdoors: Don't forget gun safety in new year ...
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Tough-gun-laws-linked-to-fewer-deaths-4145605.php
Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2013 is prosperous and happy for you and your families. This is my 35th year as an outdoor communicator and I write this column with a heavy heart.

East Coast storms causes flight delays in Chicago
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/delayed-flights-nyc-airports-blizzard-advances-article-1.1227624
A winter storm that moved through the Midwest on its way to dumping more than a foot of snow in some parts of the Northeast has led to flight delays at Chicago's airports for flights to and from the East Coast.